Adding fuel to the design fire

Behold the architectural wonders of the world: the Burj Dubai, the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal – and two random British petrol stations.

Monday 21 May 2012, 08:59AM

The two 1960s gas stops were last week awarded Grade II protected status for their unique architecture, fuelling interest in an establishment whose architecture is usually associated with drab uniformity, hellhole toilets, and serial killers lurking in dark corners.

English Heritage awarded the accolades to a UFO-style winged station on the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire, and a second station with six ‘parasols’ over the pumps in Birstall, Leicestershire.